Abdominal support for medical or surgical purposes.



v E. CURTIS. ABDOMINAL SUPPORT FOR MEDICAL OR SURGICAL PURPOSES.

APPLIOATION FILED 00TH, 1910.

1,035,163, Patented Aug. 13, 1912.

--FIG.-/.

' UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HARRY EDWIN CURTIS, OF WEST HAMPSTEAD; LONDON, ENGLAND- ABDOMINAL SUPPORT FOR MEDICAL R SURGICAL PURPOSES.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HARRY EDWIN CURTIS, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing atWest l lamplstead, in the county of London, England, ave invented certain new and usetul Improvements in Abdominal Supports for Medical or Surgical Purposes, and of which the following is a speci- This invention refers to improvements in abdominal supports for medical and surgical purposes, and particularly relates to means for supporting'the lower abdominal muscle.

out disconnecting or injuriously straining any of its arts.

Other 0 jects will be set forth in the general description which follows.

In the accompanying sheet of drawings, Figure is a front elevation of the improved abdominal support; Fig. 2 is a rear elevation, and Fig. 3 a plan view.

1 Like reference characters refer to like parts in all the figures.

The leading member of the improved abdominal support is a suitably curved and shaped plate 1, so constructed that its face (Fi 2) which is preferably padded, will fit c osely against the hypogastric region othe wearers body, in a position to support the lower abdominal muscle. The main or body portion of the hypogastric plate 1 is made of suitable metal in two rigid parts, 2, 3, arranged side by side and so that they do not meet along a vertical central line. The two rigid metal parts 2, are located and inclosed within a leather cover 1; and said leather cover itself forms an easily flexible, frictionless and non-extensible vertical hinge joint, 5, between said rigid parts 2 and 3, upon which hinge portion the hypogastric plate 1 as a whole can be easily flexed.

' Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed October 8, 1910. Serial No. 585,960.

Patented Aug. 13, 1912.

joined rigid metal ally, are held in position onthe body of the wearer by two suitably curved resilient metal band members 6, 7; each of said rigid metal parts 2, 3 having one end of a curved resilient member permanently; pivoted 'to its outer face (Fig. 1) by a stud 8 adjacent to the flexible jomt 5, the pair of studs being central with reference to the plate 1 as a whole so as toequally distribute the resilient pressure, and so constructed as to limit the pivotal movement of the resilient members to ,the plane of the back of the plate 1. The free ends of the resilient mem vhers carry bearing pads 9 adapted to bear against the back of the wearer.

The improved abdominal support is'applied to the body of the wearer from the front by pulling apart the free ends of the resilient members, 6 and 7, which is accompanied by a permissive bending or partial doubling of the hypo astric plate 1, about its hinge portion 5-; t e bearing pads The plate 1 as a whole and its flexibly 7 arts 2 and 3 individn- 9 being thus readily separated sulliciently to be; passed backward at the sides of the wearer, into contact with the back of the wearer at convenient points, without overstraining the resilient members 6, 7. When so placed in position the hypogastric plate 1 resumes its normal shape under the pressure of said resilient members 6, 7, and

effectively supports the lower abdominal muscle; and the device as a whole does not confine the movements of. the wearer, is not liable to shift in position and does not cause inconvenience. When the improved support is properly placed in position, the two pads 9 may be connected by a back strap 10', interacting with the attachin studs of said pads, as is customary, to o viate the possibility of accidental displacement.

I claim as my invention:

1. In combination with suitably curved resilient pressure members and bearing ads attached to the rear ends of said mem ers and adapted to bear on the back of a wearer, an improved hypogastric plate com rising two rlgid metal parts separated a ong a central vertical line and a leather cover inclosing said parts and forming an easily adjacent to said hinge joint and centrally with reference to the'hypogastric plate as a whole, substantially as hereinbefore specified.

EPA support for the lower abdominal muscle having, in combination, a suitably curved and shaped plate, the face of which is adapted to closely fit the hypogastric region of a wearers body, said plate including two rigid metal parts separated along a central Vertical line and a leather cover inclosing said parts and forming an easily flexible, frictionless and non-extensible hinge joint between said parts, a pair of suitably curved resilient members pivotally attached at one end of each to said rigid inetal parts respectively, and bearing pads attached to the other ends of said resllient members and adapted to contact with the back of the wearer; said plate being adapt-- 

